History Corner: How About a Little Science in That Easter Basket? (review and giveaway)

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received these products, free of charge,from Basher Science, for review, and giveaway, purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it, all opinions are my own.

Earlier this week I shared with you a list of great books for girls for their Easter basket, and this week I have a new line of products that would be great for girls OR boys to find in their Easter baskets, that not only encourage learning, but are pretty darn cute!

Can you believe it? It’s been 10 years since Basher Science brought the Periodic Table to life through its amusing and informative characters! Over the past 10 years, this groundbreaking series, with over 3 million books sold, has changed the way kids study and learn. Through the wit and wisdom of Basher, kids learned who the world’s most famous biologist is, what makes boron different from barium, where diamonds and gold are found, when the first bacteria appeared, why slime mold is important, and how 3-D printers work.

Now the Basher Universe has expanded from a popular book series, thanks to a collaboration with toy makers Mattel, to include a new line of science-themed character figurines, card games, and playsets!

Recommended for kids ages 10-14, but perfect for all kids, this one-of-a kind visual science series is perfect for classrooms, home schoolers, home bookshelves, and STEAM enrichment. With quirky, unforgettable illustrations and smart, cool characters, these new items will bring big ideas down to earth—and make learning completely fun!

The Basher toy line is available ONLY at Target online, and in their stores nationwide!

This month, the first wave of toys—figurines and collectable card games based off of three of there bestselling BasherScience books: Biology, Chemistry, and Rocks and Minerals, make their debut.

And we were sent a collection of them to check out!

The first thing that immediately caught Miss Grace's attention was the Biology Card game set! The game includes 24 colorful cards that teach kids about various topics such as liquid, pollen, and sandstone, from different branches of science, plus a mini-figure (ours was the heart) and 2 tokens for game play.The sets are suitable for kids ages 6 and up. Basher Science Card Games are also available in science subjects: Rocks & Minerals, Chemistry, and Astronomy.

The cards are matched in pairs, so that you can play 1 of 2 games- battle or match- by yourself, or with another person. The tokens allow you to keep track of who is winning game rounds, by moving the tokens around the included round cards!

But while playing, your child will be LEARNING, as each card features a brief definition, that kids can easily relate to, and remember! Each card also features a special a special bonus, like the one shown, which could quickly END a match game, so kids have to read and be quick as well! By the time we had finished 2 rounds of each game, Miss Grace was begging for MORE cards! Which was when the 'cute stuff' came out!

Seriously- HOW cute is this fungus?

AND each individual figure comes with his own set of cards, to add to your card games! Woo hoo, more cards! The figures have suction cup bases, so they can be stuck along a bookshelf, monitor top or other fun location! They come as individuals with cards, or in sets of 3 with a carrying case, which can be attached to a backpack or keychain! The 3-Pack sets teach kids about various subjects from different branches of science, including Chemistry, Biology and Rocks & Minerals. They are grouped in related trios, for even deeper understanding of the relationship between the elements.

We were sent one of the Rock Set collections, which was perfect as we finished that module not long ago, and Miss Grace STILL has a rock fixation (trust me, 1 hour in the rock room at the Perot museum! LOL). Our Series 1 set included Evaporite, Clay and Sandstone mini-figures, as well a cute pink carrying case. But the kid was just as excited to see 3 more sets of cards to add to her game! Already her goal is to collect ALL of the sets and game cards! Trust me, I'd rather my kid collect scientific figures, than those other ones you find all over your house! At least I know she'll be LEARNING while she's playing!

But let's not forget the books that started it all!

We were also sent the Chemistry book to check out.

The Basher Sciece book contains quirky, manga-style illustrations, featuring smart, cool characters that bring big science ideas down to earth--and make learning completely enjoyable!

As you can see, the reading is more of 9 and up level. Miss Grace will have some of the chemistry included as part of her studies next year, so she was really excited to see this book, and to go through it. In fact, it was a contest between her and Grandpa as to who got to check it out, as they both found it really interesting! I don't think I got to look at it for about 3 days! LOL.

the Chemistry book covers basic physical states, nuts and bolts of chemistry, nasty substances in chemistry, lab work, organic matters, energy, earth chemicals, and chemicals needed for life. If you home school, this series of books is a MUST for your teaching! Kids can easily relate to the characters, and the fun text makes it easy for them to remember the subject matter at hand! We'll be getting the whole series for sure!

Miss Grace is already removing the human body chart and putting up the Periodic Table chart, so she can start learning the symbols, as they really caught her attention this past week, when we participated in a Science Quiz at the Perot Museum (and tied for first place, thank you!), and the periodic elements were key questions. Basher also has a hardback book to go along with their chart, to make learning easier as well!

Right now the card games, trio figurine sets and books are ALL under $9 each, and are available online, or in Target stores. Which makes filling an Easter basket with them, pretty reasonable. Wouldn't you rather your kids learn than get more cavities from candy they don't need (as they're probably like mine and still have Valentine's Day candy left?). More figurines, Basher Science themed playsets and experiment kits will be released throughout the rest of 2017. We can't wait and hope you'll join us in collecting this great new series of educational toys and books!